Glad I saw this video, I got a good deal on an Atari 800 and 800XL bundle on Facebook, but it didn't come with the power supplies. If it had, I or the guy selling it to me may have used an ingot supply and fried the computers without knowing any better! Great content, quality information and presentation.
When I upgraded from a 400 to an 800XL, it came with the Ingot PSU. The computer suffered frequent brownouts. The blue ("Graphics 0") text screen would suddenly turn pink, and seconds later the computer (IIRC) simply switched off. They must have received a lot of complaints, b/c I was able to return/exchange my 800XL no-questions-asked. The replacement was the smaller/lighter vented unit you showed. Before I returned it, I opened the PSU up in hopes of fixing it (I didn't have any trouble. The epoxy hadn't bonded with the case yet.) The epoxy in mine was *clear* and you could see all the electronics inside like a fly in amber. I don't know what idiot thought trapping all that heat in plastic would do, but it sure as hell didn't keep things cool. The brick would get so hot touching the silver label burnt my finger! I can understand why it would throttle the voltage! Yeesh! What a mess!
This chap is spot on! I just got a bundle of 8 bit Atari kit which came with 2x CO 60592-34 9V ac-ac adapters and 2x big brick CO 61763-34 5V dc ones. The 5V ones were OK but both the 9V AC ones were putting out just over 12V! So if you get any please check with a meter first and resist just pluging in to your treasured original 800 or whatever, it'll end in tears! Thanks for posting. Nickolas G has a good idea in hollowing them out and replacing with modern compnents. Jan Beta has a good mod for the brick ones with a Meanwell switching PSU. Cheers!
The AC ones showing higher voltages is completely normal. They are just a transformer with no voltage regulation. Inside the console or computer is a bridge rectifier and a voltage regulator such as the LM7805 which takes the input voltage and outputs a steady 5V DC. The 7805 requires at least 7v input and can accept up to 35 volts (though that would result in a lot more heat so certainly not ideal).
I wish I saw this sooner. I work at a retro game store and we got an 800xl in without a power supply. One of the coworkers ordered one, we had never had to find one before. Turns out it was the ingot, and now I don't know if it killed the computer, or if it was already dead.
Sorry to hear that happened. I would just start with basic diagnostic checks of the 800XL to maybe determine what's going on with it. Good luck with it! -Cheers, Steve
If anyone has a c64 wedge supply its only half potted. You can save it. I very carefully opened one. You need to take your time prise each edge a bit at a time. I then disconnected the 7805 regulator and wired in a dc to dc convertor to the raw 12v dc. Finally I replaced the output cord with one to suit my Plus 4.
Great. Thanks for noticing the stuff on the shelves. I try to shake it up a bit and change something every video. I don't know if anyone has noticed yet. 😆
Not much difference. Late in the game Atari slapped the Model Number 800XE on computers in some European countries in order to move product with a recognized "800" model number. Fun Note: All Atari 800XE's are PAL machines.
Removing the inside of an ingot PSU and replacing it with a Meanwell PSU would be a really nice project, and a way to save a genuine, original, vintage Atari PSU.
The epoxy brick sometimes can pop out rather easy; sometimes. I'd think the big concern is getting the bottom cover off without damaging either parts of the plastic case. :\
My 600XL w/ 64K memory upgrade from '84 had power supply issues using the epoxy power brick. It did not over-voltage but the filter caps sent through noise causing weird bit/character changes on the screen and sometimes crash/hangs. Had to buy a newer later design with the vents.
I also have the 600XL with a (back in the 80's) 64k upgrade. It had the ingot and I was ignorant about the issue. One day I turned it on and was met with a bad noise and wavy display. Assumed my computer died. I didn't throw it away but I did pick up a 130XE super cheap. I tried the 130XE power supply on my 600xl and it worked though the RF out display seems damaged. I plugged in a Sophia and it was clear so seems like the ingot may have damaged the RF.
Been there, done that... and regreded a lot. Such an "inglot brick", that I used thinking, that 1.5A is better than 1A, outputted 12V to my system. And it fried almost all of it... The thing was, it was equipped with a lot of stuff from Lotharek - VBXE, U1MB, Rapidus and Stereo. Some of them partly survived (overvoltage protection on them) but some needed chip replacement. You can easily count the cost. It hurt...
got one of the Ingots from New Zealand was putting out 5.12 volts today but my XEGS was fried by a C64 power supply years ago, I'm trying to piece it back together but will start with replacing the power supply after seeing your video, I'll use your usb power cable and replace, thanks for the video
Ouch. 10 volt output from an Atari 5 volt power is ...not good - no matter if that testing is under load or not. Definitely Never use that Ingot power supply for anything ever again. Please recycle it. As far as your 800XL, do you have another Atari compatible 5 volt power supply in good working order? Was your "not booting up" test done with a good power supply? If so, Yes, I'm sorry to say you probably have fried something in the 800XL. Sorry Dude ☹
I recently got my old Atari 800XL repaired (it had been sitting in the attic for 30 old years since it failed). Glad I decided to obtain a USB power cable as the last thing I wanted was for the old power ingot to fry it when I tested it.
I have the vented White Top power supply for my 800 XL. I've been able to replace the 78S05 voltage regulator twice. I recommend adding a cooling fan to it.
Its bad enough to sonic weld the plastic shells together and render servicing a pain, but the rock hard epoxy tactic is just pure evil (and stupid poor thermal design). I remember as a kid, hammering away a C64 PSU to investigate it. Just did one of those Atari brick ones, felt like archeological work lol. I was successful in extracting the transformer (centre tapped output, have not measured voltage yet) and the circuit board module (about 40mm x 70mm x 40mm). Aluminium U shaped heatsink encased it, but the epoxy still flowed very thurally inside the U shaped cavity. Have not gone farther yet. Something inside that circuitry makes a ting/ping ringing sound. Kind of like a spring or etc inside a relay. Plastic shell came out okay with no visible damage, but one corner about 10mm did split a bit. Do not know why I bothered with all that effort, when 3D modeling a case similar to the good two tone coloured one and printing it would be a more fruitful effort. Curiosity gets me every time
Many thanks! You have probably prevented a disaster here. 👍 I did not know about this, I have a lot of C64s and therefore knew about the C64s death bricks, but I just assumed Atari's PSUs were better quality. I have an Atari 800XL, and typically it have the "Ingot". I will snip the cord and solder it to an old router PSU instead and throw away the rest.
As a kid, we had an Atari XE that went out, and it died one day. I had no idea that decades later, there'd be all sorts of information online that would tell us how to fix these machines. From what I've been seeing, it was probably the power supply. The console might have been okay, but it's hard to tell
Sorry to hear that. It is great that we can now Google and find most answers to keep these classic machines running. Have you picked up a working 8-Bit since?
@@JoeStuffzAlt Let us know if the XE is still around. Check out my vid on making a USB power cable for the Atari's. Might come in handy for you! ua-cam.com/video/6v3YA-6s3YE/v-deo.html
I had an 800XL with the ingot back in the day (1986, my first upgrade after the 600XL). I had to get my dad to keep buying replacements (went through I think 4 of them) because they kept burning out, and they were C$25 at the time. I'm just glad they didn't take the computer with them.
@@TheVintNerd Apparently I didn't realize _how_ lucky. I knew they blew up (I still remember the smell, and how freakin' hot they got), but I didn't know the common failure mode was that it usually took the computer with it. Man, I'd have been absolutely gutted if it did. My dad could afford the occasional power supply (even if I was going through them like every three months), but not a new computer on a whim like that. I moved on to a 65XE a bit later, which had a better power supply, so thankfully I never had that problem again.
@@TheVintNerd It's absolutely nuts how often those things failed. I've never had power supplies fail like that before or since. I don't know if it's terrible design or poor manufacturing quality. I actually thought that maybe it was the electrical system in our place, but we lived in a very new development at the time, so the electrical system should have been up to code. (Not that I thought about that at the time.) Sadly I don't have them any more, every upgrade I did was at least partly financed by selling my old stuff. We didn't have a lot of money so I had to cover the costs somehow. :)
Word of warning... Also the silver label 1.5A you showed here also can overvolt and do damage to your XL or XE. This happened to me. Bought a 'new old stock' silver label from B&C on ebay and it failed not long after I got it. Word on the street (or online forums) is that if they have not been used in 30+ years, they are more likely to fail. If these DC power supplies have been used somewhat regularly then they are thought to be safer. The A/C power supplies seem to be much more reliable since there is no capacitor or much else in it except a transformer. The Atari8bit FAQ mentioned at once point that the A/C adapters can suffer voltage drift over the years but I've not seen that in any of mine, and i have about 15 of them. I have an XL vented styled black one that you opened here have even been hesitant to use it due to fears of it failing, even though they are considered reliable and so easily serviced. These are sometimes nick-named 'black beauties' because the cream-white XL styled ones are nick-named 'beauty queens'. Good job on the video. Great audio quality and your video production quality is also great!
Thanks for the feedback. Appreciate it! I've actually watched a bunch of your Atari videos, too. Some nice gear you have. Was not aware of the "if they have not been used in 30+ years, they are more likely to fail". Makes sense though. Everyone pulling their old computer out of the closet after decades is taking a chance when they plug it in...unfortunately. -Cheers, Steve
@@TheVintNerd You're welcome! Glad you've found my videos! Thank you. There's more I want to make. Would be good to know your Atari story.. How you got into it? What was your setup? etc... For a video.
@@TheVintNerd Oh of course, maybe just a 30 second history brief is good. As far as the use of power supplies, afaik the recommendation is that, at a minimum, it is good to exercise the capacitors ten minutes every three years. This is for the computers and other devices as well. The 1200XL unboxing video I posted experienced the common issue where first powerup does not succeed, almost certainly because of the 'lack of exercise' of capacitors. Exercised an XEGS today here ;)
I don't have any Ataris, but the epoxy filled power supply is familiar to me as a Commodore 64 owner. I use an aftermarket power supply for my C= and only kept the original for the sake of completeness. Personally, I wouldn't tell anyone to keep the brick for fear that an unscrupulous seller might sell it to an unsuspecting customer. I've seen a few in the wild solo and I knew better, but there's no guarantee a new buyer would know. There's no guarantee that a seller would know, either. They might think you're making a big deal out of nothing.
Very good points! Perhaps I’ll just except the bad power supplies and recycle them when they get here. Also, interesting that the C64’s have similar power supply issues. Thanks! -Cheers, Steve
I had picked up a C64 "breadbin" last year at an estate sale. They had two breadbins and 2 C64c (in box). I only wanted the one C64 (besides, I only had so much money on me) and they only had the one power brick between the two. If it hadn't been that they were charging extra for the power supply I would have taken it just to keep someone else from unknowingly buying it. I *did* tell the people running the sale that the power supply was not something that should ever be used again, explaining why, so hopefully they heeded my advice. If the sale hadn't been SO far out of the way to get to I would have hunted down an ATM and picked up the other breadbin and one of the boxed C64c units
@@TheVintNerd You could always ask them to clip the cords and send those to you. That way, you have a spare cord, no innocent person could be handed a Brick of Death, and you save on shipping costs.
Funny recently my Ingot power supply cropped out on me luckily to 3.5 volts so I end up stealing the label and the power cord, plan is to stick it on the bottom of Aari 130XE :)
I was interested to see if the ingot was repairable I get pissed off when I spent a few hours typing in computer code when I almost finished completing typing in code the Atari 600 turned itself off and that happened a fair few times
I opened a C64 power supply, a old type that had no resin, I added a chinese regulator on the dc output to force the voltage down. Other than that its orginal and thats the way I like it.
I got a bit nervous watching you pry that apart. I highly suggest using work gloves when doing this type of thing. I would hate to see you get hurt. I work for a manufacturing company, so PPE use is burned into my brain. Oh, and that power supply tester is too cool.
Very Good suggestion! You can tell, as I keep the tools pointed away, and don't put force towards me... that I've learned the hard way in past years. ;)
Have you done the video for making the USB to 7 Pin DIN Cable or where to source it from? I recently retrieved my 600XL (bought in Jan/1985) from my mom's house after 30 years... I did plug it and turned it on (used a RCA to F Connector) and hooked it up to a 4K 65" TV (my 600XL does not have a composite out)... it was wild to see it still run... but I did notice that the PSU (CO 61982) got quite hot with the 1 hour I had it on (showing it off to my 8y/o son), although I do recall it did that back in my high school days. My son seems interested in learning coding on it... so I want to build/buy the cable and prevent the 600XL from frying... if you have the info or the video (don't see it in you video roster) it would be really helpful... Thanks for this video, it is very enlightening...
Hi, Luis. I have not finished that video yet. Probably have it up in the coming weeks. Cool that you've gotten your son interested! Not sure if it is still relevant, but back then the "Pilot" programming language was geared towards school aged children. You can find Pilot on eBay; as well as a USB power cable if you did not want to make one yourself. -Cheers, Steve
@@TheVintNerd I am now thinking to basically replace the 7-Pin DIN connector with a USB port, and use a Pure USB Cable and a 2+Amp USB PSU… Surely I can find a connector that fits in the current back panel… Probably will also mod the video output… since mine only has RF… see if I can convert it to a better video… as the RF is really fuzzy on a large TV (the only one I have)
@@TheVintNerd exactly what I am looking for… thinking to add it without removing the original DIN… just adding a small slit that fits the USB-C, as inconspicuous as possible… I don’t do videos… but once I do this I would send Pics maybe you can show in one of your videos…
@@nenesaurus If you can install it without removing the original DIN, and not modify the case, that would be a Win-Win. As far as the pics, would be interested in seeing them; not sure I can work them into any videos.
That's a great idea. I've seen Jan Beta's video, and his came out really nice. Whats the best method you have found to remove the brick-of-epoxy without damaging the plastic case?
@@TheVintNerd It was a pain since they're bulky when they're full. I also watched Kevin Ottum's videos involving the c64 rebrick method as well. I used 2x4 pieces then a hard a place to pound it out takes some patience though.
I only ever had the ingot, since 1989, never used anything else. Now after all the warnings about it, I am afraid to switch on my Atari. Instead of buying a new one, couldnt you just modify the ingot? Either by just adding vents into the casing with a Dremel or take out the innards from the "sandwich" cases and place them in a new, plastic only case with vents?
Well, in general, it is heavily suggested that no one use any old, retro computer supply; because they are all susceptible to failing after 30~40 years. More so, the Atari Ingot is a lost cause. There is no repairing it or making it better. It is a large epoxy brick with old, unreliable electronics in it.
Had an ingot back in the 80s that failed on me. Luckily it didn't fry my computer. We had to cut a square through the epoxy to get to the fuse to replace it. It was nuts.
@@TheVintNerd Yeah if you're ever curious you cut a square through the top part of the epoxy there is a fuse in there. It's not a solid block all the way through. I can't remember how we cut through the epoxy. A woodburning kit knife or something. It's been since the 80s.
You can use a USB wall wart but most of those chargers only offer half an amp, which isn't enough for an Atari computer, especially if you want to it run something. Nearly all Atari peripherals use the 9VAC, that I've used interchangeably with my 1050, 850, 810, tape drives, various Atari Printers like the 1010 plotter, and my Atari 800 computer it self. It might also run the XF551 disk drive too. These power bricks are generally reliable since it only contains a transformer stepping the power down to 9V AC. I don't believe there are any capacitors in them that would potentially go bad after 30 years. When someone says "XL/XE" most people don't think of the 1200XL since that computer was an odd-ball and not many of them exist compared to the 800XL. The 1200XL had some software compatibility issues that the 600XL/800XL (and the XE) fixed. 12:20 that power supply you plan on recycling, I'd cut off and keep the 7pin DIN connector so you could use for another power supply, or add a USB connector to it.
@@TheVintNerd You have great content, even though i'm about a year late finding your channel. I happen to have the large black vented 800XL power supply, and about 2-3 9VAC power adapters somewhere in my closet. I hadn't used them in about 8 years, but they do still work. I wish i had a spare 7pin DIN connector/cable so i can make my own USB power.
On a c64 dual output supply that was not potted I put a inline regulator board on the DC output hidden inside and left the Ac as it is as you said the Ac is fine. If the supply is not potted that's all you need to so. Its actually cheaper to put a Chinese regulator inside than to do anything else. :).
I wondered what this was all about as I never remember hearing about this and I had bunches of 8-but Atari stuff and I only ran up to the 1200xl as I hated the 800xl/130xe and never had any of those and that’s why I know nothing about them as I moved to a 520STFM After the 1200xl.
Yup, I fried most of the chips inside my carefully preserved 800xl a few years ago by unknowingly plugging it into its ingot after 15 years sitting. Killed it instantly. Wish I knew. Didn’t even think of checking it’s output voltage. Stupid me. :(
Hi , I also make videos, I have one of these but it does not have a din connector on it, it belongs to a friend of mine I will tell him to just toss it and buy a USB or better still a repairable power supply. If anyone knows where to get the STLs I can 3D print the black and white one no problem.
Glad I saw this video, I got a good deal on an Atari 800 and 800XL bundle on Facebook, but it didn't come with the power supplies. If it had, I or the guy selling it to me may have used an ingot supply and fried the computers without knowing any better! Great content, quality information and presentation.
Glad I could help. Thanks for watching! :) -Cheers, Steve
When I upgraded from a 400 to an 800XL, it came with the Ingot PSU. The computer suffered frequent brownouts. The blue ("Graphics 0") text screen would suddenly turn pink, and seconds later the computer (IIRC) simply switched off. They must have received a lot of complaints, b/c I was able to return/exchange my 800XL no-questions-asked. The replacement was the smaller/lighter vented unit you showed.
Before I returned it, I opened the PSU up in hopes of fixing it (I didn't have any trouble. The epoxy hadn't bonded with the case yet.) The epoxy in mine was *clear* and you could see all the electronics inside like a fly in amber. I don't know what idiot thought trapping all that heat in plastic would do, but it sure as hell didn't keep things cool. The brick would get so hot touching the silver label burnt my finger! I can understand why it would throttle the voltage! Yeesh! What a mess!
Clear Epoxy? Nice! I'll have to see if any I have kick'n around are clear.
@@bi30 I believe the intent was to lock out oxygen so it couldn't catch fire.
Just wanted to say thank you for the information on these old power supplies!
You’re welcome. Thanks for watching & subscribing. Cheers! :)
I carefully removed everything, installed a 5v USB charger and a USB socket and kept the retro look.
Nice! :)
Didi you install the USB Socket at the computer end, as in replaced the DIN Connector? Thinking this would be a great idea...
My guess, Nickolas put the USB socket in the Power Supply Case.
Nice video. I will point new Atari 8-bit owners to this video.
Thanks, and THANKS! :)
This chap is spot on! I just got a bundle of 8 bit Atari kit which came with 2x CO 60592-34 9V ac-ac adapters and 2x big brick CO 61763-34 5V dc ones. The 5V ones were OK but both the 9V AC ones were putting out just over 12V! So if you get any please check with a meter first and resist just pluging in to your treasured original 800 or whatever, it'll end in tears! Thanks for posting. Nickolas G has a good idea in hollowing them out and replacing with modern compnents. Jan Beta has a good mod for the brick ones with a Meanwell switching PSU. Cheers!
Thanks for the feedback and tips! -Cheers, Steve
The AC ones showing higher voltages is completely normal. They are just a transformer with no voltage regulation. Inside the console or computer is a bridge rectifier and a voltage regulator such as the LM7805 which takes the input voltage and outputs a steady 5V DC. The 7805 requires at least 7v input and can accept up to 35 volts (though that would result in a lot more heat so certainly not ideal).
Good explanation, Thanks!
I wish I saw this sooner. I work at a retro game store and we got an 800xl in without a power supply. One of the coworkers ordered one, we had never had to find one before. Turns out it was the ingot, and now I don't know if it killed the computer, or if it was already dead.
Sorry to hear that happened. I would just start with basic diagnostic checks of the 800XL to maybe determine what's going on with it. Good luck with it! -Cheers, Steve
If anyone has a c64 wedge supply its only half potted. You can save it. I very carefully opened one. You need to take your time prise each edge a bit at a time. I then disconnected the 7805 regulator and wired in a dc to dc convertor to the raw 12v dc. Finally I replaced the output cord with one to suit my Plus 4.
Thanks for sharing the advice! -Cheers, Steve
The ingot needed some love, if not a good dissection, and I'm glad you covered it! They're great for frying fish and eggs, but not a classic computer.
lol Yup!
}:
As an XEGS owner, I appreciate this video. Also, dig the cool stuff on your wall/shelves.
Great. Thanks for noticing the stuff on the shelves. I try to shake it up a bit and change something every video. I don't know if anyone has noticed yet. 😆
BTW: I've never heard of the "800XE". What was the difference between it and the "65XE"?
Not much difference. Late in the game Atari slapped the Model Number 800XE on computers in some European countries in order to move product with a recognized "800" model number. Fun Note: All Atari 800XE's are PAL machines.
Removing the inside of an ingot PSU and replacing it with a Meanwell PSU would be a really nice project, and a way to save a genuine, original, vintage Atari PSU.
Definitely a cool project. Biggest problem is opening up an 'Ingot' power supply without damaging the case. But, Doable! :)
@@TheVintNerd I reckon a dremmel might be useful. The epoxy brick can be destroyed. Maybe making a big hole inside the epoxy brick?
The epoxy brick sometimes can pop out rather easy; sometimes. I'd think the big concern is getting the bottom cover off without damaging either parts of the plastic case. :\
Unplugging it was how you got your brother to stop playing. It swiftly transforms into a weapon for the fight that is about to ensue.
Youch, that'll leave a mark!
@@TheVintNerd ):
My 600XL w/ 64K memory upgrade from '84 had power supply issues using the epoxy power brick. It did not over-voltage but the filter caps sent through noise causing weird bit/character changes on the screen and sometimes crash/hangs. Had to buy a newer later design with the vents.
Glad to hear it didn't fry your computer! Hope you still have that Atari 600XL.
I also have the 600XL with a (back in the 80's) 64k upgrade. It had the ingot and I was ignorant about the issue. One day I turned it on and was met with a bad noise and wavy display. Assumed my computer died. I didn't throw it away but I did pick up a 130XE super cheap. I tried the 130XE power supply on my 600xl and it worked though the RF out display seems damaged. I plugged in a Sophia and it was clear so seems like the ingot may have damaged the RF.
Good thing it didn’t fry more of it !
Been there, done that... and regreded a lot. Such an "inglot brick", that I used thinking, that 1.5A is better than 1A, outputted 12V to my system. And it fried almost all of it... The thing was, it was equipped with a lot of stuff from Lotharek - VBXE, U1MB, Rapidus and Stereo. Some of them partly survived (overvoltage protection on them) but some needed chip replacement. You can easily count the cost. It hurt...
Ouch! So Sorry to hear about that. Glad you got most, if not all, of it working again.
got one of the Ingots from New Zealand was putting out 5.12 volts today but my XEGS was fried by a C64 power supply years ago, I'm trying to piece it back together but will start with replacing the power supply after seeing your video, I'll use your usb power cable and replace, thanks for the video
Awesome! Glad I could help :)
My ingot is reading 10v output, does it mean my 800XL was fried? It is not booting up and no keyboard led on!
Ouch. 10 volt output from an Atari 5 volt power is ...not good - no matter if that testing is under load or not. Definitely Never use that Ingot power supply for anything ever again. Please recycle it. As far as your 800XL, do you have another Atari compatible 5 volt power supply in good working order? Was your "not booting up" test done with a good power supply? If so, Yes, I'm sorry to say you probably have fried something in the 800XL. Sorry Dude ☹
Update here: the Atari 600Xl is saved, just had to replace the 500k trimpot and get a new power supply, and it is fine now. @@TheVintNerd
@@coffeedrops_Franck Awesome! That's good to hear.
C06 *1982* - 600/800XL were shown at summer '83 CES.
Maybe a 1982 redesign power supply.
Interesting thought
I recently got my old Atari 800XL repaired (it had been sitting in the attic for 30 old years since it failed). Glad I decided to obtain a USB power cable as the last thing I wanted was for the old power ingot to fry it when I tested it.
Awesome! Glad to hear 🙂
5:27 EVERY ATARI owner should know! (& shown at 19:05)
Absolutely! Thanks :)
I have the vented White Top power supply for my 800 XL. I've been able to replace the 78S05 voltage regulator twice. I recommend adding a cooling fan to it.
Cool. A fan is a good idea; though.. I dislike hearing fans. :|
Its bad enough to sonic weld the plastic shells together and render servicing a pain, but the rock hard epoxy tactic is just pure evil (and stupid poor thermal design). I remember as a kid, hammering away a C64 PSU to investigate it. Just did one of those Atari brick ones, felt like archeological work lol. I was successful in extracting the transformer (centre tapped output, have not measured voltage yet) and the circuit board module (about 40mm x 70mm x 40mm). Aluminium U shaped heatsink encased it, but the epoxy still flowed very thurally inside the U shaped cavity. Have not gone farther yet. Something inside that circuitry makes a ting/ping ringing sound. Kind of like a spring or etc inside a relay. Plastic shell came out okay with no visible damage, but one corner about 10mm did split a bit. Do not know why I bothered with all that effort, when 3D modeling a case similar to the good two tone coloured one and printing it would be a more fruitful effort. Curiosity gets me every time
Right? What were they thinking?! lol I've been thinking what would it take to 'dissolve' the epoxy brick away; and just leave the components. 🤔
Many thanks! You have probably prevented a disaster here. 👍 I did not know about this, I have a lot of C64s and therefore knew about the C64s death bricks, but I just assumed Atari's PSUs were better quality. I have an Atari 800XL, and typically it have the "Ingot". I will snip the cord and solder it to an old router PSU instead and throw away the rest.
Wow, Awesome! Glad the video helped. 😀
@@TheVintNerd I have now replaced the inside with a 5V 3.5A PSU. I put it inside the old case to make it look stock. 👍
@@MariaEngstrom AWESOME 😎
Just looked at my power supply for my 800xl and uh... yep, it's one of the infamous ones. Thanks for the heads up, I'll be making a new one for it!
Glad I could help! :)
As a kid, we had an Atari XE that went out, and it died one day. I had no idea that decades later, there'd be all sorts of information online that would tell us how to fix these machines. From what I've been seeing, it was probably the power supply. The console might have been okay, but it's hard to tell
Sorry to hear that. It is great that we can now Google and find most answers to keep these classic machines running. Have you picked up a working 8-Bit since?
@@TheVintNerd I haven't. I'll have to see if the Atari XE is still around and maybe try a new power supply for it
@@JoeStuffzAlt Let us know if the XE is still around. Check out my vid on making a USB power cable for the Atari's. Might come in handy for you! ua-cam.com/video/6v3YA-6s3YE/v-deo.html
I had an 800XL with the ingot back in the day (1986, my first upgrade after the 600XL). I had to get my dad to keep buying replacements (went through I think 4 of them) because they kept burning out, and they were C$25 at the time. I'm just glad they didn't take the computer with them.
Wow, Lucky!
@@TheVintNerd Apparently I didn't realize _how_ lucky. I knew they blew up (I still remember the smell, and how freakin' hot they got), but I didn't know the common failure mode was that it usually took the computer with it. Man, I'd have been absolutely gutted if it did. My dad could afford the occasional power supply (even if I was going through them like every three months), but not a new computer on a whim like that. I moved on to a 65XE a bit later, which had a better power supply, so thankfully I never had that problem again.
@@VaporChase It's crazy how many you had fail. Hope you still have that 800XL and/or 65XE! :)
@@TheVintNerd It's absolutely nuts how often those things failed. I've never had power supplies fail like that before or since. I don't know if it's terrible design or poor manufacturing quality. I actually thought that maybe it was the electrical system in our place, but we lived in a very new development at the time, so the electrical system should have been up to code. (Not that I thought about that at the time.) Sadly I don't have them any more, every upgrade I did was at least partly financed by selling my old stuff. We didn't have a lot of money so I had to cover the costs somehow. :)
Word of warning... Also the silver label 1.5A you showed here also can overvolt and do damage to your XL or XE. This happened to me. Bought a 'new old stock' silver label from B&C on ebay and it failed not long after I got it. Word on the street (or online forums) is that if they have not been used in 30+ years, they are more likely to fail. If these DC power supplies have been used somewhat regularly then they are thought to be safer. The A/C power supplies seem to be much more reliable since there is no capacitor or much else in it except a transformer. The Atari8bit FAQ mentioned at once point that the A/C adapters can suffer voltage drift over the years but I've not seen that in any of mine, and i have about 15 of them.
I have an XL vented styled black one that you opened here have even been hesitant to use it due to fears of it failing, even though they are considered reliable and so easily serviced. These are sometimes nick-named 'black beauties' because the cream-white XL styled ones are nick-named 'beauty queens'.
Good job on the video. Great audio quality and your video production quality is also great!
Thanks for the feedback. Appreciate it! I've actually watched a bunch of your Atari videos, too. Some nice gear you have.
Was not aware of the "if they have not been used in 30+ years, they are more likely to fail". Makes sense though. Everyone pulling their old computer out of the closet after decades is taking a chance when they plug it in...unfortunately.
-Cheers, Steve
@@TheVintNerd You're welcome! Glad you've found my videos! Thank you. There's more I want to make.
Would be good to know your Atari story.. How you got into it? What was your setup? etc... For a video.
Yes, definitely make more videos.
My story? lol I want to build Subscribers, not bore them. We'll see. :p
@@TheVintNerd Oh of course, maybe just a 30 second history brief is good. As far as the use of power supplies, afaik the recommendation is that, at a minimum, it is good to exercise the capacitors ten minutes every three years. This is for the computers and other devices as well. The 1200XL unboxing video I posted experienced the common issue where first powerup does not succeed, almost certainly because of the 'lack of exercise' of capacitors. Exercised an XEGS today here ;)
@@gamedoutgamer Interesting recommendation to exercise the capacitors ten minutes every three years. Thanks for the info :)
I don't have any Ataris, but the epoxy filled power supply is familiar to me as a Commodore 64 owner. I use an aftermarket power supply for my C= and only kept the original for the sake of completeness.
Personally, I wouldn't tell anyone to keep the brick for fear that an unscrupulous seller might sell it to an unsuspecting customer. I've seen a few in the wild solo and I knew better, but there's no guarantee a new buyer would know. There's no guarantee that a seller would know, either. They might think you're making a big deal out of nothing.
Very good points! Perhaps I’ll just except the bad power supplies and recycle them when they get here. Also, interesting that the C64’s have similar power supply issues. Thanks! -Cheers, Steve
I had picked up a C64 "breadbin" last year at an estate sale. They had two breadbins and 2 C64c (in box). I only wanted the one C64 (besides, I only had so much money on me) and they only had the one power brick between the two. If it hadn't been that they were charging extra for the power supply I would have taken it just to keep someone else from unknowingly buying it.
I *did* tell the people running the sale that the power supply was not something that should ever be used again, explaining why, so hopefully they heeded my advice. If the sale hadn't been SO far out of the way to get to I would have hunted down an ATM and picked up the other breadbin and one of the boxed C64c units
@@SenileOtaku Yup. Hopefully they recycled it.
@@TheVintNerd You could always ask them to clip the cords and send those to you. That way, you have a spare cord, no innocent person could be handed a Brick of Death, and you save on shipping costs.
@@gmirwin Interesting suggestion 🤔
Funny recently my Ingot power supply cropped out on me luckily to 3.5 volts so I end up stealing the label and the power cord, plan is to stick it on the bottom of Aari 130XE :)
Nice! And, good thing it was kind to you when it failed :)
@@TheVintNerd @ 13:37 Smell the history ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ you've got me cracking up here LOL :)
@@DieselPLL I try 😆
I was interested to see if the ingot was repairable I get pissed off when I spent a few hours typing in computer code when I almost finished completing typing in code the Atari 600 turned itself off and that happened a fair few times
The Ingot isn’t ‘repairable’, but people have gutted the electronics inside and put another, newer power supply in its place.
I opened a C64 power supply, a old type that had no resin, I added a chinese regulator on the dc output to force the voltage down. Other than that its orginal and thats the way I like it.
Nice :)
I got a bit nervous watching you pry that apart. I highly suggest using work gloves when doing this type of thing. I would hate to see you get hurt. I work for a manufacturing company, so PPE use is burned into my brain. Oh, and that power supply tester is too cool.
Very Good suggestion! You can tell, as I keep the tools pointed away, and don't put force towards me... that I've learned the hard way in past years. ;)
Have you done the video for making the USB to 7 Pin DIN Cable or where to source it from? I recently retrieved my 600XL (bought in Jan/1985) from my mom's house after 30 years... I did plug it and turned it on (used a RCA to F Connector) and hooked it up to a 4K 65" TV (my 600XL does not have a composite out)... it was wild to see it still run... but I did notice that the PSU (CO 61982) got quite hot with the 1 hour I had it on (showing it off to my 8y/o son), although I do recall it did that back in my high school days.
My son seems interested in learning coding on it... so I want to build/buy the cable and prevent the 600XL from frying... if you have the info or the video (don't see it in you video roster) it would be really helpful...
Thanks for this video, it is very enlightening...
Hi, Luis. I have not finished that video yet. Probably have it up in the coming weeks. Cool that you've gotten your son interested! Not sure if it is still relevant, but back then the "Pilot" programming language was geared towards school aged children. You can find Pilot on eBay; as well as a USB power cable if you did not want to make one yourself. -Cheers, Steve
@@TheVintNerd I am now thinking to basically replace the 7-Pin DIN connector with a USB port, and use a Pure USB Cable and a 2+Amp USB PSU…
Surely I can find a connector that fits in the current back panel…
Probably will also mod the video output… since mine only has RF… see if I can convert it to a better video… as the RF is really fuzzy on a large TV (the only one I have)
@@nenesaurus With the right USB connector mounted that could look nice. I would use a USB-C style connector, if it were me.
@@TheVintNerd exactly what I am looking for… thinking to add it without removing the original DIN… just adding a small slit that fits the USB-C, as inconspicuous as possible… I don’t do videos… but once I do this I would send Pics maybe you can show in one of your videos…
@@nenesaurus If you can install it without removing the original DIN, and not modify the case, that would be a Win-Win. As far as the pics, would be interested in seeing them; not sure I can work them into any videos.
I've gutted and replaced the ingot psus with MeanWell RS-15-5 units similar to Jan Beta's approach, they were a pain to remove though.
That's a great idea. I've seen Jan Beta's video, and his came out really nice. Whats the best method you have found to remove the brick-of-epoxy without damaging the plastic case?
@@TheVintNerd It was a pain since they're bulky when they're full. I also watched Kevin Ottum's videos involving the c64 rebrick method as well. I used 2x4 pieces then a hard a place to pound it out takes some patience though.
I would imagine some break unfortunately. I'll have to check out Kevin Ottum's videos; Thanks for the tip.
@@TheVintNerdsure thing.
I only ever had the ingot, since 1989, never used anything else. Now after all the warnings about it, I am afraid to switch on my Atari. Instead of buying a new one, couldnt you just modify the ingot? Either by just adding vents into the casing with a Dremel or take out the innards from the "sandwich" cases and place them in a new, plastic only case with vents?
Well, in general, it is heavily suggested that no one use any old, retro computer supply; because they are all susceptible to failing after 30~40 years. More so, the Atari Ingot is a lost cause. There is no repairing it or making it better. It is a large epoxy brick with old, unreliable electronics in it.
Had an ingot back in the 80s that failed on me. Luckily it didn't fry my computer. We had to cut a square through the epoxy to get to the fuse to replace it.
It was nuts.
Great to hear it didn't fry the computer!
@@TheVintNerd Yeah if you're ever curious you cut a square through the top part of the epoxy there is a fuse in there. It's not a solid block all the way through.
I can't remember how we cut through the epoxy. A woodburning kit knife or something. It's been since the 80s.
You can use a USB wall wart but most of those chargers only offer half an amp, which isn't enough for an Atari computer, especially if you want to it run something.
Nearly all Atari peripherals use the 9VAC, that I've used interchangeably with my 1050, 850, 810, tape drives, various Atari Printers like the 1010 plotter, and my Atari 800 computer it self. It might also run the XF551 disk drive too. These power bricks are generally reliable since it only contains a transformer stepping the power down to 9V AC. I don't believe there are any capacitors in them that would potentially go bad after 30 years.
When someone says "XL/XE" most people don't think of the 1200XL since that computer was an odd-ball and not many of them exist compared to the 800XL. The 1200XL had some software compatibility issues that the 600XL/800XL (and the XE) fixed.
12:20 that power supply you plan on recycling, I'd cut off and keep the 7pin DIN connector so you could use for another power supply, or add a USB connector to it.
All good points to make. I do always cut off and save the DIN connector. Parts are parts! :)
@@TheVintNerd You have great content, even though i'm about a year late finding your channel. I happen to have the large black vented 800XL power supply, and about 2-3 9VAC power adapters somewhere in my closet. I hadn't used them in about 8 years, but they do still work. I wish i had a spare 7pin DIN connector/cable so i can make my own USB power.
@@fragalot Thanks for the nice feedback! :)
On a c64 dual output supply that was not potted I put a inline regulator board on the DC output hidden inside and left the Ac as it is as you said the Ac is fine. If the supply is not potted that's all you need to so. Its actually cheaper to put a Chinese regulator inside than to do anything else. :).
I have vented psu's, that are different to all of these. They have two prong plugs. I replaced the caps and have been good for years.
Cool. A lot of PSU's you can recondition. Unfortunately, not the Ingot. :\
@@TheVintNerd for sure. I meant to say I enjoyed your video, was very informative!
Aww, Great! Thanks for the feedback! :)
I wondered what this was all about as I never remember hearing about this and I had bunches of 8-but Atari stuff and I only ran up to the 1200xl as I hated the 800xl/130xe and never had any of those and that’s why I know nothing about them as I moved to a 520STFM After the 1200xl.
Glad I could help inform. Thanks for watching! -Cheers, Steve
I had an original “Ingersoll” psu for my Atari 2600. The cable broke today sadly
It had a good life! Any hopes on fixing it?
@@TheVintNerd I’m sure the console still works, all i need is a new psu
Prima :)
Yup, I fried most of the chips inside my carefully preserved 800xl a few years ago by unknowingly plugging it into its ingot after 15 years sitting. Killed it instantly. Wish I knew. Didn’t even think of checking it’s output voltage. Stupid me. :(
Argh! Sorry that happened. Now you know. Go on eBay and buy a beat-up Atari (bad case) for the chips. And, get a USB power cable. 👍🏻
@@TheVintNerd that’s exactly what I did. I’m on the hunt continually now for cheap chip donor XL’s. They’re getting harder to find! :(
Great video!
Thanks! Glad you found it useful.
Hi , I also make videos, I have one of these but it does not have a din connector on it, it belongs to a friend of mine I will tell him to just toss it and buy a USB or better still a repairable power supply. If anyone knows where to get the STLs I can 3D print the black and white one no problem.
Great :)
Crap, I think I have a couple of them!
Bummer, but glad the video helped!
They are the most prolific version of xl/xe power supply.
Pretty much. I see them in lots of auctions and sales. :\
You really deserve more subs, so let me hit this SUBSCRIBE button!
Thank You for subscribing. And, I totally agree with you! :)
Hey old man show games.
Ok, Thanks for the feedback. I have some 'gaming' ideas. We'll see when I can get to them. Cheers :)
@@TheVintNerd Cheers and thank you !